(1)For privacy reasons, the
contact details for Alcea Techologies have been removed

(2)A note has been added
concerning the shut-down of the ON-SITE program as of January 1st
2007

CO-OP
PLACEMENTS: THE ON-SITE PROGRAM

Date:
October 31st 2003

Author:Robert T. Chisholm

■ Briefly, this is a 26-week job placement
and re-training program managed by Energy Pathways Inc. and funded by H.R.D.C.

■ The program started in 1983, in Ontario.
Later, it was extended to include other provinces such as Alberta, B.C.,
Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Currently it is available only
in Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The author applied for a
job with Suncor in the Alberta oil industry in August 2002 and simultaneously
found that the program was no longer available in Alberta (saved web page
available as proof of this statement). This coincided with media reports
concerning a “job boom” there; further, the company to which the author applied
was claiming not to be able to find suitable people in Canada and had started
recruiting in the U.K. and South Africa. The author had no response to his
application

■ Information packages are also available
to job seekers to give to prospective employers, when looking for work. Thus,
in theory, a job seeker can obtain an ON-SITE placement with the employer of
his / her choice.

■ This program can be used either on its own,
or following a course, in order to obtain work experience.

■ As at mid-2000, it was available for
placements in the following fields:-

■ A job seeker in an ON-SITE placement has
to continue looking for work on a part-time basis because the employer whom he
/ she is placed with does not guarantee a job at the end. In practice,
according to available information, about 1/3 are offered a job by the employer
they are placed with whilst about another 40% are offered a job with another
employer.

■ Between 1983 and 2000, about 5,500 people
got work through ON-SITE and “over 4,000” employers participated. Over this
17-year period this averages to about 320 people placed per year – FOR THE
WHOLE OF CANADA.

■ In February 2002 I met with Mr. Robert
Lacasse,President ofAlcea Technologies Inc.. He told me at the
time that he had 8 other ON-SITE workers with his company and reported
favourably on the program, but was unable to accommodate me. In the few other
instances where employers whom I approached knew about this program, there were
no negative comments about it.

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

■ Very small number of placements available
compared to the number of potential users. See above. Also in the “Ottawa Area”
as defined on the web sitehttp://www.epi.ca/there are typically only 10-20 placements advertised at any
given time.

Solution: The business environment needs to be markedly improved, such that
employers have the necessary incentives to make placements available in the
numbers needed.

■ The program is currently available only
to regular E.I. recipients or “Reach-Back” clients. Anyone not meeting these
two requirements is excluded automatically.

Solution: These requirements should be dropped, such that (subject to certain
other conditions) anyone out of work can avail themselves of this program

■ Apparently arbitrary withdrawal of the
program without notice and without satisfactory explanation, even in areas
where an alleged “job boom” is taking place, contrary to common sense. As
indicated, this has occurred in areas where immigrants from South Africa and
the U.K. have been hired when ON-SITE workers could have been hired instead.

Solution: The business environment needs to be markedly improved, such that
employers are always able to hire their ON-SITE workers permanently.

■ A job seeker in an ON-SITE placement has
to continue looking for work on a part-time basis because the employer whom he
/ she is placed with does not guarantee a job at the end. This works against
the interests of both the employer and the ON-SITE worker by distracting the
worker from his/her project.

Solution: see previous para.

■ Jurisdictional issues – moving out of
province to better opportunities. Currently, if you want an ON-SITE placement
out-of-province (e.g. Alberta), you cannot arrange it in advance of moving, if
you live (say) in Ontario. You have to move – AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE – first, then
transfer your E.I. claim to the province where you have moved, THENapply for an ON-SITE placement (AND THERE IS
NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL IN FACT GET ONE). This works against both employers
and job seekers by imposing unnecessary requirements to pay out money for a
move,with no guarantee of work at the
destination. This is just a case of being told to pay to move “where the work
is….(or isn’t)”but without any
satisfactory guarantee of return on investment.

Solution: abolish these rules.

■ No coverage for re-location expenses to
take up an ON-SITE placement, even within the same province. This, again, imposes
an unnecessary financial requirement on the job seeker, who may have no money
to pay for re-location even if single and with no family commitments to deal
with. This, again, is just a case of being told to pay to move “where the work
is….(or isn’t)”but without any
satisfactory guarantee of return on investment.